Improvement in car-couplings



W. P. SIDDENS. Improvement in Car-Couplings.

Patented June 18A 1872.

No. 128,182.A

N e. l.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM P. SIDDENS, OF DANVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ROBERT CRAIG. d

IMPROVEMENT IN C2ARCOUPLINGSl Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 128,182, dated June 18, 1872.

Specification describing certain Improvements in Oar-Couplin gs, invented by WILLIAM P. SIDDENs, residing at Danville, in the county of Vermilion and State of Illinois.

My improvement, which relates to automatic car-couplings, consists, rst, in the employment of an elongated coupling-pin, in combination with the buffer-head and a bracket overhanging the latter, the coupling-pin passing through the bracket and being provided with a collar in sucha manner as' to come in contact with the under side of the bracket the moment the pin, on withdrawing it from the buier-head, has been elevated above the b ottom of a groove in the top of the latter, in

which groove the pin is sustained in an elevated position; the bracket, in connection with the collar, preventing the vertical displacement of the pin; second, in the employment, in combination with the grooved bufferhead and elongated collared coupling-pin, of a sliding bracket, which is actuated, by a spring, in such a manner that, on raising the coupling pin, the bracket will draw it into the rear end of the groovein the buier-head.

, The drawing represents a sectional elevation of my improved car-coupling.

The buffer-head A is provided, in the example illustrated, with av deep mouth, divided horizontally into several chambers, for thereception of the link, which can thus be sustained at diiierent elevations to couple together cars of varying height. The stem A of the buffer-head is arranged in a box, B, and bears against a spiral spring, C, which is inserted in the cavity in the box behind the stem A', in the manner clearly shown, pushing the buer-head outward. A cross-head, a', on the stem A', playing in slots bin the box B, controls the endwise movement of the buffer-head in either direction. The top of the buffer-head is constructed with a longitudinal gutter or groove, a, extending rearward from the pin-holes, and so shaped as to guide the pin into such pin-holes. The coupling-pin D has a length more than double that of the height of the buier-head, and is constructed with a collar, d, its length between the collar and itsl foot end being just sufficient to let it pass entirely through the buiier-head. Above the collar d the coupling-pin passes through a bracket, E, which projects from the end of the car-body and overhangs the buffer-head. The elevation of the bracket above the buier-head must be such that, on withdrawing the coupling-pin from the buffer-head to release the link, the collar d on the pin shall come in contact with the under side `of the bracket the moment the foot of the pin has been raised above the bottom of the groove a. The pin may then be pushed back into the groove, but cannot be displaced vertically. A tongue, F, projects from the car-body just above the buffer-head, overhanging the latter when projecting just a little. As the elevated coupling-pin is drawn back into the groove a it comes in contact with this xed tongue, which holds it from moving with the buffer-head on the collision of two cars, which pushes the buffer-heads back far enough to bring the pinholes in line with the pin, allowing the latter to drop through the buffer-head and engage the links of the adjacent car just entered. The bracket may be rigidly secured to the car;

in which case it must be provided with an elongated hole, to allow the coupling-pin to move the required distance horizontally. But I prefer to use a bracket capable of sliding endwise, such as shown in the drawing. It is there provided with a stem, E', arranged in the cavity of a box, G, and controlled in its movements by a cross-head, e, playing in elongated slots g in the box. At G the cavity in the box is enlarged to accommodate the spiral spring H, which encircles the stem of the bracket, bearing with one end against the cross-head e on its stem, so as to draw the bracket up against the car-body when the pin is elevated. Thus arranged the bracket will draw the pin back into the rear end of the groove a in the top of the buffer-head in an automatic manner, so that the pin may be drawn up from the top of a car, and rested on top of the buffer-head without further assistance from the operator.

What I claim, and desire. to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of thebuffer-head, bracket overhanging it, and an elongated couplingpin having a collar, d, between the bracket' and buii'er-head, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the yielding bufferlIn testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subseribing witnesses.

WILLIAM P. SIDDENS.

Witnesses:

J Aeon H. PITZER, CHRISTOPHER C. SIDDENs. 

